Red's Ice House/Sullivan's Island

We came back from a look around downtown's Market Street when we ventured onto the Sullivan's Island exit instead of the Mount Pleasant exit.

It was dusk and we were hungry! I heard a commercial for Red's Ice House a few days before: Live Music Every Night and Meals Starting at 5 Dollars!

We've been doing a great job of not eating out, so why not? We pulled up and waited for a parking spot for what seemed like forever...only to find out there was a spot 4 spaces closer to the restaurant..hehe...

Red's Ice House is located on the opposite side of Water's Edge (where Brian took me for my birthday) which has a breath-taking view of the channel that leads into a marina.



To our left...another restaurant



Our evening consisted of: acknowledging that our love could not reach each other across the width of the table (we don't sit next to each other like old people...and the table WAS really wide...) and trying to list all of the regulars and special guest's on the panel of Nickelodeon's old game show, Figure It Out. Summer Sanders does not equal Suzanne Summers, Brian.

And then, the food.



Brian has been very adventurous during our dining experiences so far. He orders "The Original ________" or asks every waiter/waitress to pick what he's going to eat. It's smart! If I wasn't so prone to stomach aches, I'd definitely do the same!

He got the "Signature Sandwich: The Great Grouper" I don't know...some kind of fish...in a sandwich.



Well, He liked it!

TIME FOR SOME FUN!!!

Tell me, what is the difference between these two photos?




If you guessed "Lady picking her butt" YOU GET A PRIZE!

We waited until the band started to play...



...and of course...country music. So we left.

Today we went to Sullivan's Island!! We had heard from many people (Brian heard from adults, I heard from kids :) ) That Sullivan's Island is one of the best places to be. It's less tourist-y than other beaches and it is very low key and peaceful. Well, it sure was!



This was one of the entrance ways to the beach. The difference between here and Isle of Palms is that the entire area is residential. You cannot find shops that cater to tourists, which is really nice. Oh, and zero meter parking! It was great!

We passed the "Charleston Light"



Like almost everything in Charleston, I thought this lighthouse would have a special historical background. It doesn't.

Anyway, the sand was ON FIRE!!!!! Apparently, today was the first real humid day in the area...but man, were my toes steaming! It got better when we put down our stuff and got into the water. We found that the waves are truly (can I say this?) lame. Maybe that's why it is such a calm beach. I know that we, as humans, need to just relax at some points, but I wanted some crazy action! Throw me around, nature! COME ON!

*I love this picture

It was beautiful though, aside from some guy standing in the middle of everyone with his fishing rod and HOOK! (Shudder)

We sat on our bottoms and bellies in the shallowest of water and just waited for the small waves as we talked. It was really nice! We walked up and down on the wet sand and saw schools of incredibly small fish trying to get back out to the ocean, but they always managed to get washed up again. What a struggle!

Our time at Sullivan's Island ended when Brian had to go to work. Great weekend! I think we can depict which beach to attend depending on our moods. Our next venture will be to....Folly Beach, dude!!! (The area is popular to a lot of surfing culture, thus, surfer lingo. I do not say the word "dude" often. Or, ever)



But, they do!!

The Leaves Arent' As Yellow At Night

It has begun!

Day 1 of being a father, so to speak..



I have taken on the exciting responsibility of nurturing nature in an attempt to produce my own juicy, ripe tomatoes! I actually purchased this Topsy Turvy upside-down tomato planter at a CVS back in Michigan a couple of months back but, because of poor weather and lack of space, I never really had a chance to pursue this endeavor. Now that I have such beautiful weather and a clear space to provide care for my tomato plant, I can do just that!



The tomato variety I went with, Big Boy, seemed just right for both Alyssa's and my needs. We are both very eager to enjoy these tomatoes in salads, soups, and sandwiches as well as a great base for Alyssa's sauce!



My only enemies are time, bugs, and myself. That is, I have to wait, I have to protect my plant from pests, and I have to make sure I don't mess this up, respectively! I've read through the instructions and various gardening tips for growing tomatoes and only time will tell if I know what I'm doing. I've already had to cut off some yellow leaves because I waited too long to plant the seedling..

Supposedly, tomatoes grow as quickly as weeds do, so I should be able to post an update again very shortly, perhaps even in a couple of weeks!

Stay clicked (instead of stay tuned.. whatever!) :-P

Society Street

An ad for the 'Vegetable Bin' caught my eye. Avocados 99 cents. If you know me, you know I love avocados...in anything, any time of day, mashed or whole, guacamole, sliced on a chicken burger, ohhhhh goodness.

Well, this deal wasn't that great, pretty average, but I would much rather give my money to a local company than Walmart. Oh, and we needed lettuce.

Society Street crosses King St. (Fashion District) and Meeting St. (historical sights) both of which are popular tourist attractions in the heart of downtown. You would never know this little street existed, though! It's a one-way, millionaire dwelling, side walks cracking, one hour parking, narrowly closing street.



This home had the least amount of charm on the entire street, but the wooden door was magnificently large; made for a giant. All of these homes on this street had plaques on the outside stating that the City of Charleston had donated money to preserve each house.



Each house seemed to have its own little character--I loved the address tiles-




After my walk, I finally found the Vegetable Bin, which was actually built and set perpendicularly to Society Street, but at the very end while on the other side of a major intersection.



Sketch, right? I had my suspicions just for a second, but the location surrounding the area was far too nice to judge.

They had the biggest heads of crunchy lettuce, the most variety of potatoes, onions, granola, tea, pitted fruits, grapes, EVERYTHING! I felt bad that we had gone to the Farmer's Market yesterday, because THIS is the place to be. The prices were outstanding, too! I think the vendors at the Farmer's Market know that they can price items higher because the event is only 4 hours one day a week. I'm not buying it.

On my walk back...





I love this last one because it reminds me of The Secret Garden. Obviously the movie, I never read as a child.

The area is through the gate and into someone's backyard. The gate was ornate and beautiful, but I truly wanted to go in and explore.

I'm already finding so many small, beautiful things in my life. Wherever you are, I believe it may be a wise choice to take a few hours out of your day and truly view the world around you in a different way. Take a walk somewhere alone to hear natural sounds, acknowledging someone's artwork/architecture, the effort of planting flowers and trees, or feel yourself in the weather and atmosphere. It is so worth the time :)

~Alyssa

Sans l'agriculture? I think not!

What would we do without vegetables? Even better.. What would we do without great deals on beautiful, ripe vegetables grown and sold locally like the ones seen here? (Read further):



Alyssa and I went to the Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market today, which is only a two-minute drive from home! We went last week but, because we didn't have any cash on hand, we just browsed the abundant selections. Since it happens every Tuesday, we knew right away that we'd be back today. The event takes place in front of a middle school, next to the parking lot. A bunch of vendors from various farmlands in the Lowcountry come to town and see what business they can get. Makes sense, right? Well, of course it does.

What also makes sense is the fact that some vendors are smart enough to price their products low enough to satisfy smart shoppers such as ourselves! Everything in that picture cost an average of just $0.60 per item! AMAZING, RIGHT? In addition, many of the vendors had a plethora of local favorites like cabbage, collard greens, and even seafood as well as traditional favorites like corn, onions, and carrots. Other tents were run by restaurants serving elephant ears, spreads, dips, spices, desserts, and much more!

While walking around, I couldn't help but notice the News Radio 94.3 booth off to the side. I introduced myself to the news & public affairs director for that station, which just so happens to be with ClearChannel, which is where I had a very promising interview just a couple weeks ago! I told her about myself and, although she was busy working, she was extremely nice! She gave me her business card and, needless to say, I am that much closer to getting my foot in the door!

Tonight, with the vegetables we just purchased, Alyssa prepared a marvelous vegetarian dinner:



Fried eggplant with Italian seasoning with a cucumber, garlic, and tomato salad and a side of couscous. Absolutely DELICIOUS and healthy for us!!!

And that's pretty much it for now.. I'll go count some sheep and try to remember the last number I reach. In the meantime, feel free to comment and guess how many sheep I successfully counted. I'll try to remember even further to post how many I could..remember..

Until next time!

Jumping waves

Brian and I were hesitant to go out to Isle of Palms today because there was a big chance of huge thunderstorms at 3pm today. Well, it's 12am and there hasn't been a drop of rain. Who knows?!

Because of the cloudy/windy 83 degree weather, the waves were bigger than I had ever seen! 9-10 foot waves and we were right in the middle of them!

Isle of Palms is most likely an ideal place to live at first glance, but it is pretty tourist-y. Many shops line Ocean Blvd that sell the same South Carolina beach souvenirs. You'd have to go to Mount Pleasant for the closest grocery store and cheaper gas---but hey, how can you beat having an ocean view out of your home?

We love it! We still feel like we're on a vacation--unreal!

First post

Hello!

We have decided to start a blog to keep everyone up to date with what is going on here in Charleston, South Carolina!

Just to let you know, "The Low Country" is a term referring to the area of which we live in. It consists of Summerville, North Charleston, Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and the Islands surrounding the area. We live in Mount Pleasant; not the one in Michigan!

We just moved here 8 days ago and are having a great time! The first week was filled with going back and fourth to Goodwill and trying to find some deals to furnish our apartment. I believe we have everything we need! We finally got internet today--you don't know how much you depend on something until you don't have it. What did we do before the internet?!

Just figuring out the ins and outs of the highways was enough for me to have a headache, but Brian has really taken to understanding where we are at all times--I need the practice!

Thursday I performed my lesson for the school that I applied for. I applied for a middle school mathematics position that would cover grades 4-8. After the lesson, I spoke with the principal and she informed me that the 2nd grade teacher would be retiring this year. She was then wondering if I would be interested in half day 2nd grade and half day 6/7/8 grade mathematics. OF COURSE! She was so impressed with my lessons and references that she called me back the next day with her decision. I got the job! It is truly a chance of a lifetime--what school would create such an opportunity for me? Some may think it will be more challenging than other positions, but these kids are stupendous already--plus, class sizes are never more than 15 students at a time. Did you read that? Re-read that again....15 students. HA! Anyway...

Brian starts work with Little Caesar's on Thursday; he literally walked in and had a job! He will hopefully be hearing back from a broadcasting company tomorrow. Overall, the odds of finding a job here are ten-fold what they are in Michigan. So he is extremely confident that something will come up very shortly.

I subbed for the first time on James Island--great kids and very respectful--high school never looked so great to me! LOL That will be short-lived.

Today was my birthday! Brian treated me to a day at the beach, flea market, shopping spree, and a wonderful dinner on the water---what a day!!!!! I am spoiled!

We took a video of our apartment! Check it out!